Chapter 1: Political Expediency

Congratulations little lordlings, you have lived lives of exceptional privilege giving you the means and opportunity to learn to pilot a BattleMech; now get over it. For most, if not all of you, this will be your first time at the bottom of the totem pole. Accept it. Embrace it, and you may survive your initial encounters with hostile forces.

Now I know you have those fancy educations, but here are some basics so I know you all have some idea of what I'm talking about. First, 'Mechs are not magic, and the laws of physics haven't changed. Wheels and treads remain far more efficient than 'Mech legs. The discovery of Myomer narrowed the gap, but the fact remains that for the price of one 'Mech mounting a mid-range Assault Cannon 5, you can buy four heavy tanks with those same AC/5s.

The reason we use 'Mechs, as expensive as they are, is not because they allow lords and ladies to look down on commoners in tanks – I can't tell you how many mechs have been destroyed by underestimating tanks over the years. 'Mechs are mainstay military assets instead of niche assault units because the real limiting factor in inter-system military action is not the direct price of the weapon, it's the price-per-ton to move 'em to where they need to go, and to a lesser extent the available tonnage on JumpShips. Ton-for-ton, no tank will ever match a mech.

So here's your first lesson. When you're talking inter-system conflict, tanks for defense, 'Mechs for offense, and if there are any 'Mech Warrior mercenaries in-system, it's usually cheaper to hire them then wait and pay for space on the next JumpShip scheduled to move through the system, because I can tell you right now that the Aurigan Coalition won't be able to afford purely military JumpShips anytime soon, if ever.

Lesson number two—the weakest portion of any 'Mech you'll ever pilot is you. A heavy 'Mech can withstand dozens of long-range AC/2 high-explosive, armor-piercing rounds. You could be killed by the whiplash of that same round missing a little too close to you. 'Mechs are designed to protect their pilots but being anywhere where that kind of firepower is being thrown around isn't kind to weak bodies. So you're going to think about those first two lessons while you work up some sweat on the track. On your feet people, move!

"Though the whole galaxy be at war, the greatest risk to any noble is not guns, it's politics. It's politics that determines where the guns shoot."

I'll never forget that lesson I learned while studying under "Mastiff," the fiercely loyal Sir Raju Montgomery. The lesson didn't really sink in at the time, living it up as the privileged, spoiled young lord and designated heir of House Melodan.

And so I had to learn it the hard way.

House Melodan, for as big as it made me feel, was a very small fish. When the Star League broke up and the Star League Defense Force abandoned the known galaxy, the remaining players in the Inner Sphere fought it out until the pecking order was clear. The Draconis Combine under House Kurita, the Federated Suns under House Davion, the Capellan Confederation under House Liao, the Free Worlds League under House Marik, and the Lyran Commonwealth under House Steiner. Mess with one of the Inner Sphere powers and you die.

That's what House Melodan did, even if only by accident. We were from a little system called Hastur in unclaimed space between the Free Worlds League and one of the Periphery powers, the Magistracy of Canopus. The Magistracy wanted us to rejoin after they'd abandoned the system earlier in the Third Succession War which is still being fought in an on-again, off-again kind of way. My parents were thrilled, of course; being part of the aristocracy of the Magistracy, even as a small part, is much more glamorous than being some single-system independent. They started preparing to formalize the transition.

But as Raju tried to teach me, politics kills. The Magistracy made the offer, but they delayed formalizing it to prod the Free Worlds League into responding before they were committed. The League was still recovering from a brutal civil war and highly publicized treason trials back in 3015. By having our little House Melodan with our single old family Blackjack medium BattleMech "start" the transition without offering any formal protection to us, they were effectively asking permission of the League while maintaining deniability.

And the League responded by assassinating my entire family: parents, brother, and two sisters. I was away training in the Blackjack, undoubtedly not an accident, and returned to find everything destroyed.

The Magistracy, in a pang of guilty conscience, evacuated me and let me keep the 'Mech (I suspect in part due to the Blackjack's undeserved bad reputation), but that was as far as they would go. I couldn't stick around as a reminder to the League of how the Magistracy had prodded them, so they shipped me out to the east and the back-end of beyond, the Aurigan Reach, where a new upstart kingdom calling itself the Aurigan Coalition had been set up a generation or two back in the space left vacant when the Capellan Federation and the Federated Suns pulled back to form more defensible borders. The Reach had swapped hands a couple of times since, last held by another Periphery power, the Taurian Concordat, before the Aurigan Coalition made their claim stick.

It's not an enviable position, sandwiched between the big boys in the Inner Sphere to the galactic north and the Taurians to the east. They have some wiggle room to the galactic west, at least until they run into the Magistracy.

Of course, I should have known that wasn't the end of the politics. The Magistracy has always prided itself on being clever, and they'd hit on a cute solution to the problem of their embarrassing noble survivor, yours truly. Who should I hear was going to be waiting for me on the Aurigan capital world of Coromidir VI than the Mastiff himself, Sir Raju Montgomery. They'd done me a favor by sending me to a friend, done Raju a favor by sending him a trusted ally during a time of internal political tension, all while sending a subtle signal of support to the new ruler just prior to the coming coronation of Lady Kamea Arano to High Lady of the Aurigan Coalition.

And that's where my story really starts.

April 2nd, 3022

Aurigan Coalition

Coromodir VI

At least the view is nice, thought Donavan Melodan, last of House of Melodan, as he looked out the viewscreen as they made the final approach. Coromodir VI was a beautiful world, that much was apparent from the moment the venerable old Leopard 'Mech Carrier broke atmosphere. Despite Inner Sphere levels of population, the tropical world remained something of a paradise. The Leopard eased down onto the landing pad and its bay doors opened with a hiss, allowing a wave of hot humidity to roll over Donavan, immediately drenching him in sweat.

Sir Raju Montgomery moved deliberately up the loading ramp as soon as the doors clamped into position and grasped him firmly by the hand with a welcoming smile. "Donavan! It's good to see you, son."

At fifty-eight, the tough man's pulled-back hair was more gray than black these days, but he was as solid and unyielding as ever. Choked with unexpected emotion, Donavan turned the handshake into a hug, which Raju accepted without hesitation. "Sir, it's good to see a friendly face."

The old warrior chuckled, giving him a pat on the back before releasing the hug. "It's been a long time since I was your instructor; please, it's Raju." His smile turned grim. "I heard about your family. I'm sorry."

Donavan winced but nodded as the jolt of pain receded. "Thanks. It's… it is what it is." He gave himself a shake and stepped off the ramp to look out over the view beyond the spaceport. "It's a beautiful world here, but that tends to invite a lot of interest. And if the Magistracy is sending a 'MechWarrior as a gesture of good will, that gets me thinking that this might not be a relaxing stay."

Raju stepped up beside him, leaning against the railing. "You're more right than you know, but we shouldn't talk here. Get your 'Mech over to the Espinosa Refit Yards to have your Blackjack looked over. The BJ-1's are tough, but even they need maintenance after the better part of a month of interstellar travel. Once your 'Mech is taken care of, meet me at the Royal Palace and we'll talk." Raju turned and gave him another handshake and warm smile. "It really is good to see you, despite the circumstances. Here, I've prepared a download for you with general background, traffic control frequencies, and the local layout. Good luck, and I'll see you at the Palace."

Donavan frowned looking out of the cockpit of the Blackjack while he waited for Cordia traffic control to clear him to move down the 'Mechway towards the Espinosa Refit Yards. Cordia was all geared up for the coronation, decked out in innumerable banners of a gold cormorant on a field of red. He'd used the optical zoom on his neurohelmet to read the motto 'Foresight and Vision' on the banners. Yet despite the festive atmosphere, Raju's download had made it clear that beneath the surface, tension was boiling, with a whole host of contributing factors. First on the list, the Taurians were getting restive and refocusing on reclaiming their old territories.

The comms buzzed approval and he cautiously put the Blackjack into motion, conscious of the crowd of vehicles using the specially reinforced highway beneath his feat. The road went out of its way to stay out of weapons range of the Palace itself, and through a gap in the buildings he caught a glimpse of the massive formerly-Taurian fortress from which the High Lady would reign. He shook his head—a case in point, really.

The second problem was that the Aurigan Coalition had a weak executive power. The lords with the biggest sticks on their respective planets had put together a trade deal that had gradually firmed into an alliance, but it was a rare sovereign that voluntarily surrendered significant power to a greater body, which left the Coalition without a strong executive power. The ostensible leading house, the Aranos, were more beholden to the other nobles on the Founding Council than most realms. Still, the second-biggest player, House Espinosa, married into the Arano family, and together they held a pretty convincing sway.

Next, their already uncertain executive powers had never been tested until now. The original kingdom had been quite modest, just four systems, but they'd over-reached by growing into twenty-three in a single century, and the economic downswing from the never-ending Third Succession War had made its way to the Periphery and hit the Aurigans hard. From what he could tell, they'd been investing heavily in their newer territories, which made the Aranos popular in the outlying systems, but once the squeeze started to set in, it hurt the economic powers-that-be on Coromodir VI badly, building up resentment. How angry were the natives? How loyal were the outer systems? Who knew?

Fourth, and worst of all, was a leadership vacuum. High Lord Tamati Arano II and his wife had died a little over a month ago in a tragic, and somewhat mysterious, JumpShip accident. It was unexpected enough, and the Aurigan Coalition was young enough, that their interim succession procedures were basically non-existent, meaning that they were effectively leaderless until the official succession coronation. That made the Arano House motto Foresight and Vision more than a little ironic in his book.

The Blackjack rounded a bend on the 'Mechway and the Espinosa Refit Yard came into view. The place was a hive of activity, with dozens of 'Mechs of various types being worked on furiously by an army of 'Mech Techs. He stopped at the entryway to await directions and took a deep breath.

As bad as it looked, they might be able to keep a lid on it. Whatever happened among the outlying areas, Raju was confident in his download that so long as they hung onto Coromodir VI, ruled by the Arano's, and Espinoza's Coromodir V, they could keep it from coming apart.

A small vehicle with furiously blinking lights rolled to a stop in front of the Blackjack and he eased the 'Mech into motion, following the guide and carefully backing into a 'Mech repair stall and shutting down, locking the myomer muscles in place.

Donavan took another breath and looked out the cockpit at the small army of 'Mechs, wielding more firepower in one place than he'd ever seen outside of Magistracy space. It looked like the Espinosas certainly agreed; they were concentrating their forces on Coromodir VI and near the capital, just in case.

He popped the hatch and climbed out onto the catwalks, leaving the neurohelmet on the pilot's couch behind him, to face a mechanic officer frowning over a clipboard. "BJ-1, registered to a House Melodan. What's its name?"

"Amanda."

"Amanda, got it. Let's see, weapon loadout of four Intek medium lasers and the pair of Whirlwind-L AC/2's." The middle-aged, pudgy man looked up and gave the 'Mech a quick appraising glance. "Kept the stock loadout, huh? Any issues with them?"

Donavan shook his head. "No, though they haven't been test-fired in a couple weeks."

"Uh huh." The mechanic looked over his shoulder. "Oi, chief! I've got the Blackjack here. Is it in the once-over group, or the works group?"

Another mechanic dressed in the same bright orange jumpsuit, though not nearly as stained, looked up from a tablet and stepped over. "The Blackjack? The full works." He looked Donavan up and down, then turned back to his subordinate. "This here's a special attaché to the Mastiff and Lady Arano herself." The chief gave his man a meaningful look. "Make sure you're thorough." With that he gave Donavan a nod and walked away.

The mechanic shrugged. "Right. Well, I guess you're a VIP now, so you'll get rush priority. Let's talk guts. I'm gonna go out on a limb and guess you've got the stock GM-180 fusion engine in there. And since the GM production line on Kathul got wrecked back around 2800, that means that bad boy is over 200 years old. Sometimes old engines take a disliking to our humidity, so we're gonna open her up and take a look. Next, those Whitworth Jetlifts are gonna need a review to make sure they meet Coromodir emission standards, and then…"

Sometime later Donavan escaped the Espinosa yards, both reassured that they knew what they were doing and feeling vaguely like both he and his 'Mech had been insulted. Still, the Blackjack was getting a much-needed maintenance check and he didn't have to pay for it, so he was going to count that as a win.

He'd taken a walk through the marketplace, enjoying the taste of real, non-recycled air and taking in the warm, gently sloping architecture style. The oppressively hot atmosphere drove him back inside relatively quickly and he took the tube transportation to the Palace, passing through increasingly thick layers of security as he got closer.

The palace itself had legions of troops wearing House Arano and House Espinosa emblems beneath the Arano (and therefore Aurigan) cormorant crest. After getting directions a couple times he was finally able to find his room. It was quite small but lavishly adorned, and he sat on the sinfully comfortable couch to wait for Raju, closing his eyes to rest just for a moment…

April 3rd, 3022

Aurigan Coalition

Coromodir VI,

Royal Palace, Cordia City,

Donavan darted awake at the sound of a knock on his door, glancing around quickly while he remembered where he was. It dawned on him that the light pouring through the window meant it was morning—he'd slept through the night on the couch. The knock came again, and he hauled himself to his feet to get the door.

"Donavan, I'm sorry I wasn't able to—you look like hell, man." Raju shook his head fondly. "Maybe it's for the best that I got held up last night. Get yourself cleaned up and I'll be back in twenty minutes."

He did as he was told, and shortly thereafter Raju was leading him out through the city, leading the way towards a private vehicle and driving outside of Cordia City into the countryside. Donavan gave him a questioning glance, wondering what was so important it would get the Mastiff away from his responsibility while things were so tense, but Raju just shook his head. So instead they talked about small things, shared memories from back on Hastur, the similarities and differences in culture, 'Mechs they'd wanted to pilot.

After about an hour Raju pulled off the road and rounded a bend to reveal the sea. They left the car and hiked over a few sand dunes to settle down on an overlook where the breeze took off the worst of the heat and the sounds of crashing waves filled the air.

Raju sat silently for a long moment looking out over the peaceful scene, then sighed. "Alright, we're here. I'm sure you're wondering why we came all this way, but the capital is filled with ears right now. I can be sure we're alone, and the ocean should drown out any long-range listening devices. I can't stay out of sight for long, so let's get to it. I assume you read the download?"

Donavan nodded. "This place is a pressure cooker."

"It is. That brings us to you. You're a complete unknown in the power dynamics down here, which means Lady Arano and I can count on you. In part because of our shared history, but also, and forgive me for being blunt, but because you've got nowhere else to go."

Donavan nodded. After what the Magistracy did to his family, there was zero chance he'd spy for them, and zero chance the Taurians would ever believe he was his own man.

"The Aranos have a tradition, an important one, however foolish it is at a time like this. The ascending High Lord or Lady and the Captain of the Guard march in BattleMechs from the highlands up the Cormorant Road to the capital, retracing the steps of High Lady Keona Arano in her final campaign to take the city from the local tyrant lord, and in the process marking the formal beginning of House Arano's reign. They're supposed to do it in radio silence to contemplate the price paid by the people of Coromodir."

Raju grimaced. "I argued with Lady Arano to forget that particular facet of the tradition, and I'll keep arguing right up until we're en-route tomorrow morning, but I'm not counting on changing her mind. I've been her tutor since she was fourteen, and while she's honorable and earnest, she can still be a bit naïve at times. So since she's going to play fair, I'll be cheating instead. First, I'm bringing you on as an unscheduled honor guard."

Despite the serious situation, Raju managed a small smile. "That's quite an honor, and if this all blows over, I'm sure you'll be an object of fascination at court as they try to guess your royal connection." The smile died. "The real reason you'll be there is that right at this moment, you are one of the very few people I'd trust near Lady Arano with a weapon. Second, I've ordered the Royal Guard to break radio silence with us the moment anything goes wrong. And third, I've made sure only House Arano and House Espinosa Royal Guard are placed along the route. So… questions?"

Donavan took a moment to think, trying to absorb all of that. "Any idea what the most likely threats are?"

The old pilot shrugged. "Hard to say. Taurian movement along the border has me concerned. House Calderon has always been a touch paranoid, and the current Protector Calderon seems to fit the mold. An assassination as a prelude to invasion? Normally I'd say they're too focused on their grudge with the Federated Suns to bother, but at this point I'm not ruling out anything."

Donavan nodded, looking out over the sea. "Fair enough. Be ready for anything. What about the locals? Who are the major players?"

"There's Lady Arano, of course, who is now the head of House Arano. Her closest ally is her uncle Santiago Espinosa, head of House Espinosa of Coromodir V, and his daughter Victoria. I've only tutored her for the last local season, but she is focused, dedicated, and fiercely loyal to the family, on top of being a very promising pilot. The other biggest Houses involved are House Decimis, House Gallas, House Karosas, House Madeira, and House Parata. Lady Arano is very good friends with one of the Madeira boys, but that's the extent of it within the system. They each have dozens of minor houses beneath them, of course."

Donavan felt like his head was spinning from the sheer number of names being thrown at him, and Raju smiled knowingly. "Look, I know I'm throwing you in the deep end here, so let's keep it simple. Let me worry about all the factions and Houses. All I'm asking you to do is to stick in tight with us tomorrow and keep Lady Arano safe. Hopefully this will all turn into nothing and we can kick back over some drinks and laugh about what a paranoid old man I've become. Until then, keep an eye on your six. And Donavan… thanks for doing this."

The ride back had been quiet, both of them holding onto the quiet peace of the beach for as long as they could.

Raju dropped him off at his room and ordered food sent up, then immediately left to attend what sounded like a dozen meetings. For his part, Donavan paced with restless energy, deeply worried about what the next day would bring, yet eager for it to come to get it over with, for better or worse.